1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to a storage system and a storage device archive control method.
2. Description of the Related Art
For example, a storage device constructs storage areas based on an RAID (redundant array of independent disks) using a memory device such as a hard disk drive, semiconductor memory drive or the like. For example, these physical storage areas (logical volumes) are provided to a host computer such as a server machine or the like.
The host computer provides information processing services to client terminals connected to the host computer by writing data into the logical volumes and reading data out of the logical volumes. For example, various types of data such as email data, customer control data and the like are accumulated in the logical volumes hour to hour and minute to minute. Accordingly, for example, an email archive system that is devised so that email data can be automatically archived has been proposed (Japanese Patent Application Laid-Open No. 2001-344178).
In the archive system described in the abovementioned patent, email data of various independent formats can be stored in a common data base. In this patent, however, there is no mention of the device that is used to store the email data. For example, in cases where email data is simply stored in a hard disk drive or the like, there is a possibility that the data may be altered. Moreover, for example, in cases where data is stored in add-on devices such as CD-Rs or the like in order to prevent data alteration, since such devices have a relatively low output speed, such storage is inconvenient for later data utilization.